Gig Review - The Fab Beatles Bar Rouge Dorchester.

Sunday, 25 July 2010 14:45 Posted by Paul Brewer
The Fab Beatles Bar Rouge Dorchester Friday July 25th 2010.

The fact is, there are not enough quality live entertainment in Dorchester, there are not enough good live venues, so when a quality live band shows up, every Tom Dick and Harry comes out for a party, especially when it's the Owner Bev's 50ish Birthday.


 I was a little concerned when we arrive at Bar Rouge early and there was hardly anyone in the place, but that certainly changed and at 9:30 ish when the band took to their instruments, the place was already half full. Seeing the Fab Beatles appear for free is a rare treat, and people streamed through the doors right the way through their first 'Early Years' set.



As for the band, well it's as damn close to seeing the real thing as you'll get. They are well honed, even down to mannerisms, and they play a good varied set, including American rock and roll numbers that The Beatles played in their early career. You can tell that each time the guys play, they change the set which obviously keeps them fresh. So we were entertained by songs like 'Money (that's what I want)' and 'This Boy' as well as classics like 'Help' and 'I want to hold your hand'.


 After a short break the band were back on with the 'Later Years' set, 'Revolution', 'Back in the USSR' and 'The Ballad of John and Yoko'  blasted out, to keep the audience happy. One problem with Bar Rouge is there is no stage and bands do not have much space, and unfortunately this meant that the band had no keyboards,  and could not do some classic songs, like 'Strawberry Fields' and 'Lady Maddona' which was a shame, as when I have previously seen the band they have done really well, but they did manage to improvise for a rendition of 'Hey Jude' to finish. 


 All in all a good night was had by all, and with DJ Shannon, spinning the wheels of steel afterwards, the party went on into the night. The Fab Beatles are the real deal, they take what they do seriously, but you can tell they enjoy it too. As we'll never hear the genuine article live again, this band are as close as you'll get to hearing The Beatles. Bar Rouge rocked once again, let's hope it's start of many more rocking Friday Nights!

 © Paul Brewer 2010.
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It's been a While!

13:28 Posted by Paul Brewer
I must apologise for not posting for a while, I have been I have been a little busy. But there have been some exciting developments in the Dorset Music scene recently, a Dorset based band 'Rapids' have been signed to a London label, The Longest Day and Disco's Out (Murders in) release debut albums, Weymouth band 'This Fall' have produced their first E.P and I am joining my wife in starting a new band promotion venture, Alive and Amplified Promotions, and we are very pleased to have put together the line up for The Longest Days forth coming gig, which will be three bands in Bar Rouge, I will say it's going to be a tight squeeze in there, a hot and sweaty night will be on offer, you'll love it!
Unfortunately at least for a while the blogs going to be rather basic looking, as I have changed computers, and my version of photoshop I have discovered does not like the new operating system, grrrrrrr. All will be resolved in the coming months, but I will press on in the meantime.
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Part Three of my Interview with Local Folk Hero Tom Caulfield

Thursday, 3 June 2010 14:25 Posted by Paul Brewer
Part Three of My Interview with Tom.

Continuing on from part two in the final part of my interview with Tom Caulfield I ask Tom what about what he thinks of the new Government? I find out that Tom does not like sitting on the fence!

"Umm like any government it's going to be good for parts of the UK, and not good for other parts of the UK. Not to sit on the fence about it I'll give you my honest opinion."

I wait with baited breath!

"David Cameron is fucking evil and I wait for the day when he rips off that mask and revels himself to be a snarling lizard beast! But that's what the people have chosen, for better or for worse. As far as I am concerned conservative is a dirty word, look at the word conservative, who wants to be conservative about anything! But I think it was Bill Hicks who once said 'it doesn't matter who wins because the government gets in anyway'. I am probably more interested in local government anyway, myself personally I don't think their should be any such thing as a national government, it would never work as every country around the world would have to agree to this, but whatever happens up their in London pretty much doesn't affect me, I am on the bottom rung of society, I might pay a bit more tax, I might not it's not really going to affect my standard of living. In terms of local government I will say this much, Richard Drax can suck my dick! He does not represent me, a man who does not believe in climate change has no say over how I live. I don't think he will try and have a say over how I live. What has struck me over the election campaign is how young people have become energized into sharing their opinions, and maybe because they don't remember the Tories the last time round they have been saying 'Tory Tory Tory' part of me is waiting for that moment when they really fuck up so the  young people won't feel so smug!"

  Tom Caulfield playing alongside Tia Roos at the Borough Arms Dorchester

After we discuss music and politics the fact that being in the public eye and aligning yourself to one political party can have a downside, especially if they manage to cock things up we move on to Tom's future plans.

"You make it sound like there a plan! Well....Just to play and write, I will play for anyone, any time, anywhere!"

Tom you musical whore!

"That said, I won't do a Tory party benefit."

It seems MR Caulfield does have some standards then.....

"Hmmmm...... Well I have the EP that's been released, it's a very small label, it's a very small corner of the internet, so hopefully the more gigs I do, the more I just win people over one by one. Hopefully start earning some money from it, I've been doing this a long time and I don't have any savings, so if I don't start earning a living fro this soon, it's going start looking kind of sad."




As we finish the interview I wanted to know Toms Opinion of who was worth listening to at the moment?

"Andy Grant, goes without saying he is a monster musician, almost perfectionist to a fault, he's taken a year to record his latest album and I can't wait to for that to come out because I know it will blow my mind, it will be great. Stomping Goats down Weymouth, they're well worth checking out, very strange, but really good, they squash, Hip Hop, Reggae and folk crammed into this very very cool band. There's a girl who plays in Weymouth, Sukulele I'd check her out if I were you, it's a brilliant act I won't spoil it for you but it's good mark my words, it's trying to think of original people, who do their own stuff, I don't understand why people don't do their own stuff, I can understand why people don't do their own stuff for example, a wedding hearing music you know all night, that makes sense to me, but what I can't understand is why allot of people really have it in for hearing new things, it's a real lack of imagination with some people, music is not just there to be enjoyed when you recognise it.  There is also this problem especially in this country, that being a musician isn't viewed as a real job, it's not viewed as a craft, and it is a craft, you have to take a long time to get good at it, I have put allot of effort into it, but it's not that I crave respect or adulation, if I wanted those things then I wouldn't have become a musician, at  the same time a bit of tolerance wouldn't go a miss, there should be more understanding that there is allot of stuff around locally that is every bit as good as the stuff you hear on the charts, also within local music you have the benefit you can meet these people, we're not like these untouchable people in the distance that you merely glimpse into their lifestyle, you speak to me after a gig and I'll probably have a beer with you. If we get really friendly you can come to my house. But that doesn't mean my music means any less." 
  
There we have it, if Tom really likes you can go to his house. My thanks to Tom Caulfield, I genuinely enjoyed my evening interviewing him and watching him play at the Borough arms, Tom is a talented guy and if you haven't already done so please check out his download page @
 
http://tomcaulfield.bandcamp.com/album/bare-bones 


© Paul Brewer 2010





 
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Interview with Tom Caulfield Part Two

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 15:46 Posted by Paul Brewer
Part two of My Interview with Tom, he reveals his influences and how he would describe himself?

Continuing on from part one, I ask Tom what influences his music?

"I had a funny feeling this question might come up and I have a perfectly flippant answer for you. No. well obviously guys like Tom Waits, Nick Cave and you can't be a song writer and say anything other than Dylan,  it's like if you're a song writer and you're not into Dylan, that's like being a carpenter and not being into wood! His voice is an acquired taste, but if you can get past that it's like watching Shakespeare, if you can get past the initial hurdle of the language then you are exposed to this world of beauty and tragedy, and Dylan's much the same, if you can get past the initial hurdle of his voice you're in with a chance. In saying that in his defence, and I don't though believe Dylan needs defending, but I'm going to do it, I think the mark of a good songwriter is not being able to hit certain notes or hold them for any length of time, the mark of a great singer is to make you want to lean in and listen to what that person is saying and Dylan has got that in spades, way more than Whitney Houston has!"

 
"To get back to the question outside the obvious musical influences like Springsteen and stuff like that, there's' lot's of literature, I read allot, that's not something to bang on about, lot's of people read allot, but I like Jack Kerouac, Kowalski, and Woody Guthrie; I have just read his biography which is wonderful and anyone who interested in playing music at all should read it, Oscar Wilde..... There's allot you can learn from literature and poetry, Edgar Allan Poe, I'm actually reading Edgar Allan Poe as research at the moment, as I have been asked to compose some music for a Burlesque performer, my piano is getting a serious workout, I'm trying to do it as a concept album, Edgar Allan Poe Gothic without being Goth kind of imagery. Generally living and over hearing stuff, or watching a film and you hear someone using a phrase. allot of great works have come about because of over hearing something and then someone saying 'I'm having that' you just have to try not to be too obvious about it as that can get you into trouble in court."

Tom is obviously a well informed man and certainly not afraid of airing his own opinions, but how would he describe himself?

"Rakishly handsome and limitlessly talented.....and not just a little bit modest either!"

I don't think Tom was expecting this question,

"That's a tough one, I guess I'm already doing it in just being a person, in wearing the clothes you have chosen to wear today you have made a statement about your personality"

I did find myself looking a little disappointed that I hadn't dressed more smartly for the occasion!


I then decide to move on to Tom's EP Bare Bones, on the download site it says "Recorded the Pure Acoustica way, just a pair of nice microphones, all one take no overdubs or drop-ins. No fancy effects, not even reverb. Just as if Tom was playing in your front room" I wanted to know if Tom wasn't a fan of mordern technology in music?

"Yes I do, in the right concept, live I use loop pedals to add a bit of texture and stuff, I guess it's kind of by design, because this is my first release, I wanted it to sound like me. Most of my time is spent with an acoustic guitar and a microphone and that's pretty much what you hear when you see me, sometimes a percussionist, sometimes I might rope in a drummer and a bass player but for the most part that is what you get, it needed to be representative of that. The next one is going to be a big snarling beast of a rock album, allot more electric guitars and stuff".

At this point Tom does question me on what I mean by modern technology, and he has a point because so much technology in music is in fact old technology and even though the EP has no effects on it, it was recorded on a computer.



Tom Playing at the Dorchester Music Club, held at the Borough Arms Dorchester.

"It was a concious decision to strip the album down, if I was left to my own devices I would put allsorts on everything I love messing around with other instruments, if it was left to me I would just put a harmonica solo on everything, let's get in a string section, where can we find a gospel choir? But then I would be faced with recording something and then going out to play it live and finding I couldn't, so it was very concious that I have to go out and play these songs for people."

Tia Roos Featuring Tom Caulfield at the Dorchester Music Club held at The Borough arms Dorchester 
http://www.myspace.com/tiaroos1 


http://tomcaulfield.bandcamp.com/album/bare-bones 


Check out the Final part of Tom's Interview soon.





 
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A New Face at Bar Rouge Part One

09:43 Posted by Paul Brewer

I took a trip to Bar Rouge in Dorchester on Tuesday to talk to new bar manager and local musician Jamie Pinnow  about his new venture. I first asked him what excites him about the Bar Rouge project?

 "I think size, the building it's allot more conducive to what I like doing than was available at Tom Browns, we're not tied to any idiots, no dogs bollocks brewing company to deal with, seems like the people are behind us as well which has been the most humbling thing about this whole experience, complete strangers wishing you luck and asking what's happening, that's what's good about it." 

I had seen some facebook activity around Bar Rouge over the last few weeks, and there were several people commenting on the name 'Bar Rouge' is the name about to change?

"Initially, maybe 6 months or so I think we'll leave it as it is, if all goes well and we can buy out the lease on the place who knows, at the moment I don't really think it matters, it's not the name of a place that makes a place, it's the people who use it that create an atmosphere, the name really just sits on the wayside, if everything does go well and we go for a referb and do change the name it'll be worth waiting for."


I hadn't been in to club for a long time, in recent times it hasn't been a huge success and maybe stuck in a bit of a rut, how is Jamie going to do things differently to change things around?

"The diversity of music is one of the initial things I want to challenge, there have been the same band every other Thursday, the same DJ every week, it's a bit boring, already this month we have some rock bands playing, we have Andy Grant and his Trio coming to play which is a more laid back direction, we have Moontown coming in this Sunday, so there we have three different types of music, also we have the Jam sessions and acoustics." 

Jamie as you may or may not know is also an accomplished musician himself, what future plans does he have for this part of his career? 

"Well it's all going rather well, I've just signed a new record deal, and I've started work on a solo album which I've never done before, all my stuff going back 20 years, which has been done with a band or whatever, the chance came up to do this but I've had to put it on the back burner while all this is sorted out, but I'm intending to get back into the studio, maybe next month lay down a few tracks, I wanted to release a single first and work on the album later."

Part two coming soon!


 
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The Longest Day Chords Poole May 20th 2010

Saturday, 22 May 2010 04:17 Posted by Paul Brewer
We arrived at the venue around 7pm, not having a clue where to go, I've been past Chords many times but never been in to the place and I didn't realise that there was an up stairs! There was a good crowd at the doors when they opened, the Longest Day were to be the first band on being the special guest for the Poole date on INME's UK tour.

I have videoed the whole set and I am slowly adding the video to youtube at the moment, so you'll get a rough idea yourselves as to how good The Longest Day are. I'm afraid the sound is distorted this is entirely due to the limitations of my Canon camera,  I can assure you that they sounded very impressive live. They played 8 songs off their first album State of Indifference if the album is as good as their live performance then we the listeners are in for a real treat.
Their songs are melodic heavy rock, with a fresh contemporary feel, their music goes beyond the boundaries of heavy Metal and for commercial success that is vital. I enjoyed all the bands playing but The Longest Day were definitely my favourite, I am biased but even if I wasn't I would say the same, because their songs contain extra elements that I found lacking in the other bands playing, texture and variety! If you play at a constant tempo, constant levels, constant heaviness, too me the set will begin to sound a little monotonous and although all the bands playing were excellent musicians I couldn't really engage with the other bands music. 
Ross, Lee, Dan, Allan and Chloe (Their Booking agent) are all extremely approachable and really do all they can to talk and engage with their fans. They are focused on their future but at the same time don't take themselves too seriously, I really enjoyed my night out in Poole, if you can Catch up with The Longest Day soon! 
www.thelongestday.biz

The Longest Day Necklaces were custom made by my wife Shannon, who is making a limited number for sale, you can drop Shannon a line @ indietrinkets@gmail.com  




© Paul Brewer 2010





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Retro CD Review - Free The Bees By The Bees

Friday, 21 May 2010 16:14 Posted by Paul Brewer
Every now and then I intend to review some of the albums that are special to me, that I've enjoy listening too over the years. 

To start off it's my perfect Summer album "Free The Bees" by The Bees. The band I believe is one of the most under-rated UK bands around at the moment, this could be partly due to the fact the band are pretty low key even though their music has been used in adverts on TV. The album produced by Paul Butler, recorded at Abbey Road studios and was the follow up to their début album "The Sunshine Hit Me". 
  
Too me it is the quintessential summer album, it has humour and quirkiness, it has some fantastic guitar and keyboard riffs, close vocal harmonies, well produced horn sections and a really punchy chaotic percussion rhythm that gives the album a nice bouncy feel. The songs have a real retro sound, but they don't feel stale or kitsch, there's a feel of variety and texture that's partly due to the fact the band are multi instrumentalists and all take turns on various instruments throughout the album, obviously the band have a wide variety of influences, which manifest their way onto the record, from straight laced sixties rock, to a bit of Jazz, Ska, and lo-fi chill out.

The one part of the album that is lacking would be the lyrics, it is fairly obvious to me that the band focus on the music first and foremost, so if you're looking for profound statements you're better grabbing a Bob Dylan or Smiths record. For me I really couldn't give a monkeys, Songs like "These are the ghosts", "Horsemen", "I Love you", "Hourglass" and "Go Karts" are such perfect summer pop melodies that they could be singing phone book entries over the top of them and I'd still love them! 

This album won't be for everyone, some people may find the melodies a little sweet and not confrontational enough, but for me I can't wait for the warm weather to arrive so I can wind the windows down in my crappy car and blast The Bees all over Dorset. 

 Vrmmmmm Vrmmmmm! 


 

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